PS498 Sr. Capstone in Psychology

for S2T 2009

Mission Statement: The mission of Park University, an entrepreneurial institution of learning, is to provide access to academic excellence, which will prepare learners to think critically, communicate effectively and engage in lifelong learning while serving a global community.

Vision Statement: Park University will be a renowned international leader in providing innovative educational opportunities for learners within the global society.

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Course Description: PS 498 Senior Capstone in Psychology: This course serves as a senior capstone experience for students in their senior year. This course will include a comprehensive examination, a portfolio, and a major paper reflecting on the students portfolio. There will also be lectures reviewing all issues designed in the Psychology Program Competencies. 2:0:2 Prerequisite: PS 101 and senior standing.

Educational Philosophy:

My educational philosophy is based on using a variety of methods in learning, focusing on student engagement. Lectures, demonstrations, participation activities, readings, group work, class discussion, examinations, writing, and use of the Internet and technology are significant components of this learning process. Students will be required to analyze, criticize, synthesize course material and apply it to their own lives.

Class Assessment:

Weekly Quiz. There will be weekly quizzes administered throughout the semester. Each quiz will made up of essay questions about the reading assignment for each week. Each quiz will be worth up to 15 points. choice content, and essay questions. The midterm will be worth up to 100 points.

Final.A Final will be administered covering the readings from the entire semester (comprehensive). The questions will be made up of essay questions. The final will be worth up to 200 points.

Research Discussion (Discussion Thread).Each week a copy of a research article will be provided in a PDF or HTML format. Each student will be required to identify hypothesis, independent variable, dependent variable, design, results, and conclusions. Each student will need to identify threats to internal and social validity. Each student will be required to identify a related lay media source that has been published in the last 2 months (eg., newscast, newspaper article, or magazine article) related to the research article and discuss how one informs the other. Each student will reply to one classmate in the discussion thread. This information may appear on the student’s weekly quiz.

Requirements

Points Possible

Identify Hypothesis

2

Identify Independent Variable

2

Identify Dependent Variable

2

Identify Research Design

2

Identify Results

2

Identify Conclusions

2

Describe Internal Validity

4

Descibe Social Validity

4

Lay Media Source(Discuss how the research article adds information to the media source or corrects information. Discuss how the media source adds social validity to the research article. The media source must be published in the last 2 months. It must be a newscast, newspaper article, or magazine article.)

5

Reply to a Classmate in Discussion Thread (The reply must be meaningful and show critical thinking. “Good Job” and “I agree” do not count.)

5

Total

30

Current Events (Discussion Thread). A chapter from the textbook will be identified and its main points will be summarized. Each student will identify a media report made within the last 2 months of any kind that relates to the main points that have been summarized. No student can use another’s media report. As soon as the student has identified their media report, enter the title and location in the discussion thread so that no one else will use it while the student is writing their analysis. Each student will provide the content of the media report and where it is located, discuss how it relates to main points of the chapter, and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the content. Each student will reply to two classmates in a meaningful way.

Requirements

Points Possible

Summarize Media Report

5

Provide Media Report Location

5

Discuss How Report Relates to the Identified Chapter

5

1st Reply to a Classmate

5

2nd Reply to a Classmate

5

Total

25

Career Path Professional Timeline: Each student will submit their Career Path Professional Timeline to the assigned discussion thread. Each student will respond to two other student’s entries by asking relevant questions about each student’s Career Path Professional Timeline.

Requirements

Points Possible

Submit Career Path Professional Timeline

40

1st Reply to a Classmate

5

2nd Reply to a Classmate

5

Total

50

Resume: Each student will submit their resume to the assigned discussion thread. Each student will respond to two other student’s entries by asking relevant questions about each student’s resume.

Requirements

Points Possible

Submit Resume

40

1st Reply to a Classmate

5

2nd Reply to a Classmate

5

Total

50

Grading:

Assignment

Points

Percentage

Grade

Weekly Quizzes

120 Points

90-100%

A

Final

200 Points

80-89.9%

B

Research Discussion

240 Points

70-79.9%

C

Current Events

200 Points

60-69.9%

D

Reflection Paper (Core Assessment)

300 Points

0-59.9%

F

Total

1060

Late Submission of Course Materials:Any assignment turned in after the date it is due will be given up to half credit for that assignment. No course materials will be accepted after the last class meeting.

Classroom Rules of Conduct:

Online - Etiquette/Courtesy: Online communications need to be composed with fairness, honesty, and tact. Spelling and grammar are very important in an online class. What you put into an online course reflects on your level of professionalism. It is important no to take disagreement personally. Responses to different ideas and observations need to be objective. Being objective means maintaining boundaries and not making personal attacks on the ability of others or making statements that have the potential to be taken personally. An important part of online learning is discussion. Differences in thinking are good because our knowledge is broadened. Because we have differences, we will have conflict. The important thing is to handle conflict in a way that does not create defensiveness which does not promote learning. Here are online references that discuss online writing http://goto.intwg.com/ and netiquette http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html .

E-Mail Procedures: General e-mail: When sending an e-mail, you must identify yourself by:

PS 498

Purpose of the e-mail

Full Name

It is required that you use Pirate Mail for your online class. All information - problems with assignments, concerns, etc. - pertaining to the class will be sent to you through Pirate Mail. I will check my e-mail frequently and will respond to course related questions within 24-48 hours unless I have notified you that I will be unavailable. All e-mail sent to me needs to be copy/pasted. No attachments will be accepted due to the risk of viruses.

Course Topic/Dates/Assignments:

Week

Topic

Reading Assignment

Assignments

1

Psychology is Alive/Falsifiability

1 & 2

Quiz 1, Research Discussion 1, Current Events 1

2

Operationism & Essentialism

3

Quiz 2, Research Discussion 2, Current Events 2, Up-to-Date Career Path Professional Timeline

Academic Honesty:Academic integrity is the foundation of the academic community. Because each student has the primary responsibility for being academically honest, students are advised to read and understand all sections of this policy relating to standards of conduct and academic life. Park University 2008-2009 Undergraduate Catalog Page 87

Plagiarism:Plagiarism involves the use of quotations without quotation marks, the use of quotations without indication of the source, the use of another's idea without acknowledging the source, the submission of a paper, laboratory report, project, or class assignment (any portion of such) prepared by another person, or incorrect paraphrasing. Park University 2008-2009 Undergraduate Catalog Page 87

The instructor may excuse absences for valid reasons, but missed work must be made up within the semester/term of enrollment.

Work missed through unexcused absences must also be made up within the semester/term of enrollment, but unexcused absences may carry further penalties.

In the event of two consecutive weeks of unexcused absences in a semester/term of enrollment, the student will be administratively withdrawn, resulting in a grade of "F".

A "Contract for Incomplete" will not be issued to a student who has unexcused or excessive absences recorded for a course.

Students receiving Military Tuition Assistance or Veterans Administration educational benefits must not exceed three unexcused absences in the semester/term of enrollment. Excessive absences will be reported to the appropriate agency and may result in a monetary penalty to the student.

Report of a "F" grade (attendance or academic) resulting from excessive absence for those students who are receiving financial assistance from agencies not mentioned in item 5 above will be reported to the appropriate agency.

ONLINE NOTE: An attendance report of "P" (present) will be recorded for students who have logged in to the Online classroom at least once during each week of the term. Recording of attendance is not equivalent to participation. Participation grades will be assigned by each instructor according to the criteria in the Grading Policy section of the syllabus.

Disability Guidelines:Park University is committed to meeting the needs of all students that meet the criteria for special assistance. These guidelines are designed to supply directions to students concerning the information necessary to accomplish this goal. It is Park University's policy to comply fully with federal and state law, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, regarding students with disabilities. In the case of any inconsistency between these guidelines and federal and/or state law, the provisions of the law will apply. Additional information concerning Park University's policies and procedures related to disability can be found on the Park University web page: http://www.park.edu/disability .

Copyright:

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